Well done Harriet Harman

[Lord Beria3]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... eight.html

Working people feel "resentful" because some benefits claimants are "not pulling their weight" and are being "let off the hook", Harriet Harman has said in one of the clearest signals yet that Labour is prepared to tackle the benefits system.

Wow! Not sure I would ever write that title but it looks like HM opposition is at least starting to talk sense. Lets see if they translate this into actions like support the Coalition efforts to restrain the runaway welfare state!

[Catweazle]

Translation:

"We wasted all the money that should have paid for social security, so now we have to cut spending without alienating all of our voters, we are prepared to upset the unemployed."

[Lord Beria3]

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danho ... aring-any/

Interesting analysis at the Torygraph.

[Little John]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... eight.html

Working people feel "resentful" because some benefits claimants are "not pulling their weight" and are being "let off the hook", Harriet Harman has said in one of the clearest signals yet that Labour is prepared to tackle the benefits system.

Wow! Not sure I would ever write that title but it looks like HM opposition is at least starting to talk sense. Lets see if they translate this into actions like support the Coalition efforts to restrain the runaway welfare state!

Wow! We really do have some nasty little right wingers on this forum don't we. Same old same old bullshit. Blame the weak (and get them to blame each other) for the F--k ups of the powerful.

[peaceful_life]

restrain the runaway welfare state!

Which one would that be?

[nexus]

The one that bailed out the banks of course! Remember capitalism for the poor, socialism for the rich.

+1 to Steve, but it's not all of us, some of us are progressive
so don't be disheartened.

[nexus]

Not forgetting that of the benefits budget, most goes on pensions plus the majority of non-pension benefits are paid to people who are already actually working.

Many jobs pay so little and the cost of living is so high (especially housing), that without these benefits even working families would be starving.

It makes me laugh when you get all these buy to let landlords and company directors moaning about the benefits budget- which is actually subsidising their incomes and lifestyles.

[JohnB]

Have a read of this
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/be ... nd-1816065

I don't know about the accuracy of Mirror reporting, but just consider the additional costs of the implications of someone like this having to move. They could easily come to far more than any savings from the bedroom tax. So apart from the welfare needs of a human being, it also looks like a bad investment that could actually increase spending.

[Lord Beria3]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... eight.html

Working people feel "resentful" because some benefits claimants are "not pulling their weight" and are being "let off the hook", Harriet Harman has said in one of the clearest signals yet that Labour is prepared to tackle the benefits system.

Wow! Not sure I would ever write that title but it looks like HM opposition is at least starting to talk sense. Lets see if they translate this into actions like support the Coalition efforts to restrain the runaway welfare state!

Wow! We really do have some nasty little right wingers on this forum don't we. Same old same old bullshit. Blame the weak (and get them to blame each other) for the **** ups of the powerful.

Would you call Harriet Harman a 'nasty little right winger'?

[JohnB]

Would you call Harriet Harman a 'nasty little right winger'?

Once upon time, when I were a lad, Labour were left wing, and the Tories were right wing. Now they just seem to be two organisations who compete to get their snouts into the trough, by marketing whatever polices they think will get them elected, with little intention of following them once they've successfully fooled the suckers who vote for them.

Of course there are still some genuine people left, but they seem pretty powerless.

[biffvernon]

Remember that housing benefit is a payment from general taxation to landlords. Housing benefit was invented by the Tories under Thatcher. It pushed house prices up to the benefit of all who own their own property. Clever, to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, while pretending the opposite, and then having an opportunity to blame those unable to prosper when times get tight.

[stumuzz]

Remember that housing benefit is a payment from general taxation to landlords. Housing benefit was invented by the Tories under Thatcher. It pushed house prices up to the benefit of all who own their own property. Clever, to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, while pretending the opposite, and then having an opportunity to blame those unable to prosper when times get tight.

Redolent of middle class angst. Guilt?

The statement is very patronizing, as if it’s the poors lot to remain poor and their only means of subsistence is some charity-inflicted do-gooder to elucidate how poor they really are and what injustice they face if they only knew what their lot really was.

Housing benefit, if you take the time to think of it logically, is a redistribution of wealth.

How?

Because for years we; as a country, have a paid ourselves more and more for producing less and less. Our educational standards have been dumbed down (take a look at the PISA tables to see how shite our state school teachers are) we have produced fewer of the goods the rest of the world wants.

Yet, the people in work have paid themselves vastly more than the people producing the goods and have borrowed way above their salaries and spent it on stuff and houses. The access to too cheap credit and the ignorance of labour politicians of the risks of a credit bubble pushed up the costs of housing.

Therefore, what should the government do? Let the poorest members of society be priced out of the market or pay the price of increased housing costs (manifested in higher rents)

Get a dog or a cat if you want to believe you are helping dumb mammals.

The poor do not need or want your patronage

[biffvernon]

Housing benefit, if you take the time to think of it logically, is a redistribution of wealth.

Dunno where the logic comes in but you can think yourself into all sorts of positions.

The truth is that the Housing Benefit is, indeed, a redistribution of wealth. The wealth flows from the Exchequer to the landlords. A smart policy for those of us who are of the property owning class.

[nexus]

Wow Stumuzz, that sounds like a massive ad hominem attack on Biff, makes me wonder whether you have some personal investment in this issue - you aren't a landlord, by any chance?

[stumuzz]

A smart policy for those of us who are of the property owning class.

It was not a policy. What should have been done when housing costs were rising? refuse to pay?

When those in work were earning and borrowing more, what should be done with those with no access?